The Villainess turns the Hourglass

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

Mielle burst out into tears when Aria brought up what she had been waiting for. It was not thanks to Aria. It was simply because of the joy of punishing maids who didn’t know who they were now.

Aria, who gave Mielle a handkerchief, said in a bright voice, “Mielle, why don’t you go to Lady Sarah’s wedding for a change of mood?”

“… me?” Because she had no acquaintance with Sarah, Mielle asked back with tears hanging on her eyes.

Aria smiled brightly and affirmed, “Yes. If you are alone in the mansion, you will feel depressed.”

“That’s true, but…”

‘But the wedding between the Marquis of Vincent and Sarah… There must be a lot of people who were on the side of Aria and the Crown Prince, but how can I go there? I might be insulted to the point of no comparison with the bullying at the mansion. Moreover, my status has been lowered and I have to participate as a maid, so why are you suggesting such a proposal?’

Aria read Mielle’s complexion that she didn’t like it, and said again, stroking her hand. “And besides… you can’t continue living with this misunderstanding, so I think it’s necessary for you to meet people again.”

“… misunderstanding?”

“Now you don’t have a bad idea anymore. You were too young to judge. Everyone makes mistakes when they’re young.”

Of course, Mielle of the past hadn’t changed since she became an adult and had become more vicious, taking the life of Aria, but Aria smiled softly but did not mention such a useless explanation, for her cause.

“Misunderstanding…’”

‘Who would have covered it up as her childishness, though she could have ruined the empire?’ Mielle still stuck to her anxious look.

“Why don’t you stay near me if you’re that nervous? You’ll just have to make an acquaintance with them a little bit.”

But the persuasion of Aria continued to the point that it would not end if Mielle did not give her consent.

“Why don’t you wait in the carriage, in case? You can go back first, if you don’t want to. There’s a constraint on being next to Annie, but if I say it well, they’ll overlook it.”

‘So how can I not nod?’ Mielle slowly nodded when Aria said, “You can go back first if you don’t want to.”

Then Aria smiled on her face with great joy. “You made a very good choice, Mielle. I’ll tell Annie well, so don’t worry.”

And that smile of Aria was enough to give Mielle credibility.

* * *

Whether Aria had really given Annie a hard scolding, Annie’s behavior harassing Mielle suddenly stopped. No other maids openly bullied her either. It was because Annie was the main driver of the harassment in the first place, and because Annie stopped harassing Mielle, they didn’t have to harass her first and do anything evil.

“Mielle, do you see these dusts? Are you really reporting that you cleaned them all?”

“…”

Of course, Annie didn’t pass Mielle’s mistake, but she just stopped finding fault with something for no reason. Sometimes a significant smile followed, but it was much better than when she had been harassed. Rather, Mielle regained the confidence she had lost, feeling that Aria was taking more care of herself than just a maid, Annie.

‘Now that I have sinned, I can do nothing, but if I would go back to the same place as the original in a little while, I will never let go of Annie and other maids.’

It was sometimes included in Aria’s advice to Mielle. Of course, like herself of the past, Aria sent her maid to melt her frozen heart.

“Are you all right? Why don’t you take a break? This is from Lady Aria. She said she is worried and you need a little rest…”

It wasn’t because of the sweet snacks Jessie brought, as Mielle’s eyes had tears. It was because of Jessie, who had been with Aria’s side for the longest time, brought it.

Jessie looked pitifully at Mielle, who was really suffering. Although she had been harassing and sinning against Aria, it was very miserable to see her fall so far, as she was not yet an adult.

Although Mielle didn’t like the sympathetic look of the maid, she realized that Jessie had a good relationship with Annie, and soon lowered the tip of her eyebrows and bit her lower lip to make her face look pitiful.

“Jessie, thank you. You’ve always been very friendly. In the past, I used to order you as a noblewoman, but now my status is low, and you are the only one that looks after me, even if everyone hates me.”

Although it was not simply because of her lowered status, but because of her past actions, Mielle criticized the maids who harassed her, to win Jessie’s heart full of compassion for herself. The confusion was to make it so.

“… it’s not because your status has been lowered, but they’re good people anyway, so it’ll be better soon.” So Jessie, sensing a bit strange in Mielle’s answer, corrected it.

“Yes, Jessie. You’re right. They’re all good people. However, they find fault with anything without reason. They just take advantage of being on their own ground over a newcomer.”

When she was told that they find fault with anything, Jessie recalled Annie’s face in an instant. Jessie, who had seen Annie harassing Mielle, also thought she was a little too much.

The other servants of the mansion were so easily swept away, and they would change their attitude if the mood changed, but Annie was a little different. She harassed Mielle as if she were planning to.

Of course, considering what Mielle had been doing behind their back so far, Jessie thought it was deserved, but when Mielle made a pitiful look before her eyes, her heart shook.

It was Jessie who had been against Aria in the past, unlike others. Of course, the wicked Aria had thrown her away, but she had not given up on her will until the end. That was why Aria chose Jessie as the one to deliver refreshments.

“… don’t worry. The lady is taking care of you, so you’ll be well soon. If it’s hard to tell the lady, you can tell me.”

As Aria wished, Jessie sympathized with Mielle and gained her trust little by little. Sometimes Jessie brought snacks Aria wanted to deliver, and took the initiative to listen to her troubles.

“… Does Annie hate me? She is kind to other people…”

Of course, Mielle had intentions that were slightly different from those of pure Jessie. She tried to undermine the relationship of Jessie and Annie, by disparaging Annie in secret.

“I’m sure she won’t do it anymore when you get used to it. Annie is a good girl.”

But that shallow trick didn’t work for Jessie, and to make matters worse, it seemed like the little ruse of Mielle was being carried over quietly because Annie no longer had any fault with her.

“My God! You look better in your clothes…!”

“Really?”

“Yes! You’re always so beautiful, but I’m speechless when you are in such a well-decorated dress!”

“At this point, I’m worried that Miss Sarah will be uncomfortable!”

Aria, wearing the dress that Asher had sent, could only be described as a real beauty itself. The embroidery, placed in gold on a soft pink dress, was shaped like a tulip symbolizing the empire, and the star-storied jewels at the base of the dress glistened softly as if each boasted its value.

It was not a taste of Aria, so there were no cumbersome decorations, ribbons or frills attached, but it was not too much to say that she was more beautiful than anyone else just with their rich-looking skirts and unexcessive jewels.

“Sarah’s not such a petty person, so she won’t mind. I also don’t want to ruin Sarah’s wedding, so I’m just going to say hi and stay quiet.”

‘Of course, being quiet does not mean that their eyes will not gather, but those with sense will turn their eyes. Sarah is not such a woman who will care about such trifles, so I don’t have to worry about it.’

“Annie, you look great too.”

Aria said to Annie, who was combing her hair. Annie also dressed up in the dress sent by Baron Burboom. Although her beauty was not close to Aria, she was a noticeable figure among the maids. Perhaps Annie was proud of herself, but she raised her chin to the fullest extent and laughed as she covered her mouth.

“Thank you, Miss. It’s all thanks to you.”

“It’s not thanks to me. You made it yourself.”

“I’m shy…”

Unlike her shy red face, her eyes were full of confidence. It was not a cover for humility, so it was passed on to other maids.